Disclaimer: Artemis Fowl and related characters are not mine. They are
the works of and are copyrighted to Eoin Colfer.
Scene Seven
A series of little mishaps
"Alexei? Alexei.... Alexei, are you awake?" called Aidan. He frowned at the wooden barrier that blocked his view of his classmate's room. "Alexei, it's getting really late. You need to get up."
From within her room, Holly groaned into her pillow. Her muscles ached, her head ached, and she was in no mood to deal with "school" of all things. Hazel eyes cracked open in irritation. "This... cannot... be happening... to me," she groaned once more. She closed her eyes, recalling the events only a few hours ago.
Tuesday dawn
Holly bit her lip, cursing her recalcitrant magic but more cursing the boy who had melted into the shadows in a window high above. Of all the luck, it had to him who was looking out their window when she made her way back to the Monastery. As if finding and burying a bag of dead fairy bodies, being attacked by something not quite human, and escaping discovery by the breadth of a hair was not arduous enough. She must have done something really bad in her past life to deserve this.
Speak of the devil... A manservant had exited the Monastery front entrance and was circling around the Monastery. Holly fists clenched in utter frustration and dread. A brawl with one manservant had been a narrow victory. Once more and in gaze of a public building too? She better move now or she'd be caught. But she wasn't going to take chances with Artemis Fowl on the lookout.
"Foaly..." muttered the elf. "You had better be there or I'll never make good on that carton of carrots I promised you."
"It wounds me, sweetie, that you so doubt my devotion to you," answered Foaly, laughter in his voice. "Some situation you've wound yourself up in, by the way."
"Thanks for noticing," answered the red haired fairy sarcastically. "I need a diversion..."
"Diversion? What for?" asked the centaur. "Just climb up! Same way you used last time."
"Last time... Last time Artemis Fowl wasn't by his window." hissed Holly fiercely.
"Ooh," laughed the centaur. "Master Fowl is awake? On the lookout? Bets are he's got cameras all over the place."
"Shut up," whispered Holly, frantically trying to keep her voice down. "Pull the power."
"What?!" goggled Foaly.
"I said pull it," commanded Holly. "I can't go back the same way with so many eyes watching. Pull the power and give me enough time to slip back inside my dorm."
"Right away, Captain," assented Foaly. Normally, the centaur would have put up further arguments, but that manservant was getting a bit too close for comfort. Within a few seconds, nightlights flooding the Monastery were abruptly switched off leaving everything in complete darkness. Holly took a couple of deep breaths and blinked several times, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Thank Dana that fairies were gifted with keen eyes to make their way through the night. It was no substitute for LEP night vision but beggars aren't choosers.
Holly gazed upwards, eyes tracing her route. It was going to be some climb.
Present
Aidan was hard pressed not to give the door a very peeved look lest it might open. His roommate was there, Aidan was sure of it, but whether he was truly dead to the world or just ignoring him... Aidan shrugged, moving to pick up his book bag and exit the room. With a last long lingering look at Alexei's door, the mahogany haired boy departed.
Later
Holly was pissed. No, she was beyond pissed. She was downright infuriated. And the worst part about it? She couldn't do a damn thing about it. She was just dozing a little on her bed (making up for the lost sleep the night before; surely a night like that warranted a bit of rest!) when she thought she heard the most annoying and persistent knocking on her door. She ignored it, but after a while the knocking started sounding more and more like someone was using a small, battering ram at it. The frame shook threateningly and that was when Holly gave a yelp of surprise and dove for her clothes. She'd barely managed to put together her uniform (crumpled and very sorry looking) along with her earset when the door finally swung open. Holly was prepared to yell at Aidan (whom she believed had taken his duty as roommate a little too far) when the words died in her throat and all she saw was the nun (not carrying anything, but her left fist looked a little red) with a ferocious scowl on her face and a key on the other. Whatever protests Holly might have said were drowned out quickly as the nun's angry furor crashed into her like a tidal wave.
The next hour was spent being yelled at about character, ethics, morals, the vice that was laziness and all its evil, and her duty to be a good student so that her parents could be proud of her. Either Dana was looking after her or perhaps Holly was too stunned and sleepy to say much of anything back, but the elf managed to scrape through that little torture without yelling back and getting caught. However, when the nun assigned extra work on top of what she was already doing (a letter of some sort, handwritten, that said: I will not be lazy...) Holly felt something snap. Indignation and rage smoldered in her eyes and her daydreams were suddenly filled with a thousand and one ways to disable demons disguised as nuns.
You great, big bully, thought Holly blackly, wishing her gaze was sufficient to melt flesh. The nun was leading a very reluctant Holly to the soccer field near the main Cathedral. Despite her protests and waving her medical papers, the nun had insisted and Holly could not refuse without drawing further fire and attention to herself. So a very enraged Holly Short, dressed in the proper soccer shorts and shirt (Thank Dana no one had been in the locker room when she got dressed), was being forced to play this horrid Mud Men sport with little Mud Boys and Girls. Oh the horror...
The first thing that went wrong was that the nun had, in her tirade, forgotten to take stock of which class Holly was supposed to be in. So she had dumped Holly off at the first soccer class she was in. The nun had shoved a soccer ball at Holly, who stood staring at it dumbly for a minute. Exasperated and beginning to question Holly's mental health, the nun had forcefully pushed Holly into the game and strode away.
"A plastic ball..." muttered Holly to herself, realizing the second thing that went wrong. She didn't know what soccer was. That is, she knew that it was a sport but other than kicking it around (or was that football?) she had little idea what to do with it.
"Well, join in the game!" yelled a dark haired boy. Holly stared at him, preoccupied. Wasn't he..."Uh... are you dumb or something?" asked the boy again. That would be the third thing that went wrong. The fourth thing that went wrong followed soon after. A ball flew out of nowhere and hit Holly squarely on the stomach. Holly stumbled back, amazed. On the other side of the field, was Artemis who was saying, "As I've said, kicking soccer balls is not my forte. If you just let me plan the team strategy, David..."
Holly did a double take. Artemis just kicked a soccer ball at her. Artemis who looked as though he were probably going to get out of playing soccer. Artemis who had contributed to make her night and the following morning a living hell. Artemis who didn't even bother to apologize for the soccer ball.
David had burst out laughing before jogging over to Artemis. "Look, pal," he responded cheerfully, "that was a good kick except you didn't aim your right."
"I am in no way, shape, or form, a pal or comrade of yours in any sense of the word," shot Artemis back in words that would have put winter to shame.
"Aww, I'm wounded," laughed David. "Don't you wanna impress Isolde?"
Artemis's scathing reply died in his throat as his blue eyes widened and he ducked. David opened his mouth to question Artemis when a soccer ball slammed into his chest and toppled him over. Stunned, with the breath knocked out of him, David blinked foolishly at the blue sky.
"Yeah, David, why don't you leave Artemis there and I'll show you just how dumb I am," spoke Holly, her smile as lethal as a gun.
Artemis straightened up and focused his cool sapphire eyes at the boy at the other side of the field. That shot... the trajectory was direct, the force too much for it to be accidental... That was intended.
"Besides, I doubt Artemis can actually run a couple of feet without breaking down from heat exhaustion," sang out Holly. "He's much too girly for physical education, you see."
What was his problem? Artemis narrowed his eyes. "Oh really," drawled Artemis grimly.
Then the new boy did something entirely unsettling. He smiled a peculiar smile, a quirky smile that spoke of mischief and secret. "I say exactly what I mean," he said in a tone that belied a wealth of meaning. Artemis stared, a feeling of nostalgia washing over him. He had seen that smile before, been at the receiving end of that explosive temper before...
David staggered up, leaning heavily on an unwilling Artemis. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," wheezed the boy.
Holly fixed him with flashing, narrowed hazel eyes, "Got a problem with that?"
"I don't mind... that you called Artemis a girl... or that you think he can't run... or that he can't play. Period," breathed David. "I think you're probably right in that respect. But what I do mind... is the kick. Damn, where the hell did you learn how to kick like that???"
Artemis scowled and stepped away entirely from David, letting the boy stagger before crumpling to the grass again. Holly grinned brilliantly at the two boys, "Try me and find out. I'll take ya both on. That is... if Master Fowl is not too delicate to take on the challenge."
David shot up from his seated position, still wincing a little at his most probably bruised stomach, but eyes flaring. "Sounds like a dare to me. Come on, Artemis, let's show the new kid his place," he responded.
Artemis scowled at David once more, reluctant to be dragged to a physical activity. "Like I said," insisted the Irish youth, "Why don't you let me plan your strategies and win this one?"
David rolled his eyes and said, "Fine, fine."
The new kid merely laughed. Some kids who had been paying attention cleared a little space for the impromptu one on one match between David and Alexei. David bared his teeth, "Ready to lose?"
Alexei smirked, "All I have to do is kick that ball to the goal, am I right?"
David smirked back, "Correct."
"You're going to eat your words," whispered the red haired boy. As soon as one of the by standers signaled the beginning of the match, Alexei quickly acquired the ball and set off at a lightning quick pace. David, initially, was too surprised to keep up, but he quickly adapted and was gamely blocking Alexei. It was clear from the beginning that Alexei was the quicker and more agile of the two whereas David had strength and experience on his side. However, all the experience in the world did not help if you could not keep up with your enemy. Within five minutes, Alexei had dodged past David and scored a goal.
A cheer rose from the class, surprising Holly. To her dismay, the majority of the class had gathered to watch the spectacle. Currently, they were laughing and chatting excitedly amongst themselves. Some were teasing David who mock scowled at them. But underneath his laughing façade, Holly knew she had rankled him. Good.
David jogged up to where Artemis stood underneath the shade of a convenient tree. "Well???" he demanded. "I hope you got some miracle plan cooked up in that head of yours 'cuz I'm getting beat."
"I noticed," said Artemis dryly. The raven haired Irish youth mulled over the display he had seen a few moments before, calling to mind's eye the way both David and Alexei had moved. Alexei was amazingly fast, but his tactics were... simple. It was almost as if he were feeling the game around. Artemis had a peculiar inkling that this was the first time Alexei was playing the game.
"If Alexei keeps on moving the way he is now, he's bound to tire. He's quick, but he won't last forever," stated Artemis. "Use that advantage. Wear him out." David eyed Artemis incredulously.
"That's it?" asked David, "That's your wonderful strategy that you wanted to sit out of to make?"
Artemis allowed a cool smile to descend upon his lips, "The best strategies are the simplest ones, David." David rolled his eyes and walked down to where Alexei was waiting for him. It was true. Alexei would not be able to keep up the pace. Time was on their side.
Alexei scored a few more goals, but as the game progressed, almost everyone knew what was happening. Alexei was getting slower and slower, and he was not able to defend himself against David's well-placed strikes. David began scoring. The crowd watched with baited breath. Alexei's scores and David's were at an even.
Holly's bosom heaved in exertion. Her hazel eyes were dimmed and a hand felt its way to her chest where her heart fluttered weakly. Soon... the game had to end soon. The elf supposed that she could always forfeit, but giving up was not her style. Someone had to show these Mud Boys her place. But soon. She had to do it soon or else...
"Ready to give up?" laughed David at Alexei. Unlike Alexei, David was still energetic and ready to go. His superior strength and endurance was clearly evident. Alexei gave him a withering glare.
David immediately commenced control of the ball, his speed gaining the more he had it. Alexei ran after David but suddenly halted when his heart shuddered.
Holly's hand flew to her chest. Strength drained from her limbs. Blackness began eating her vision. Abruptly, she hated it. She hated the weakness, hated her body's frailty. Anger flamed inside hazel eyes. "I am not going to lose," she whispered fiercely to herself. "Not to weaknesses, and especially not to cocky, arrogant Mud Boys. I won't!" Holly darted off after David, for the first time freely letting her fairy instincts to take over.
To the side, admiring murmurs and gasps were heard as the students commented on Alexei's surprising speed. But one was seeing far more than just speed. Artemis stood up, eyes zeroing in on Alexei. Unconsciously, the sapphire-eyed youth took long strides forward, allowing him greater proximity and vantage point to where both David and Alexei were battling on the field for control of the ball. He had to be sure. Just a moment ago, he thought he saw something, but now it wasn't there.
A wild kick had the ball flying over both David and Alexei's heads and spinning away far up in the air and to Alexei's back. David immediately pelted off after it, but Holly had other ideas. She smiled dangerously before back flipping. She would be slower than David, sure, but David wasn't getting up in the air. At the last backflip, Holly added an extra spring and the momentum caused Holly to soar several feet into the air. The spinning soccer ball flashed in her sight. Perfect. Using the backward motion to power her kick, Holly let out a devastating lash that caused the ball to shoot like a bullet towards the goal.
There it was. Just as Alexei was running, back flipping, and especially when he back flipped right before he kicked the ball, Artemis was sure of it. He had seen wings. Translucent wings that, when struck by sun, let off a rainbow of colors. Graceful, fairy wings that beat in time to Alexei's fast pace. The wings were now outstretched, catching the wind and softening Alexei's fall as the boy landed almost gently back to the Earth. As soon as Alexei's feet were firmly planted on the ground, the wings disappeared.
The Irish youth quickly looked to the side. His classmates were rushing over to Alexei to congratulate him exuberantly on his win. Apparently, none of them had noticed a thing. Neither did David who was just scowling at Alexei. Artemis narrowed his eyes. Interesting...
Holly felt a little claustrophobic as several students crowded around her, breathing words of admiration and compliments. More than anything, she wished for them to give her breathing space. Her body ached and felt weak in a way she knew had nothing to do with being exhausted. She batted their hands away and stumbled off, calling, "Need to get some water." The students shrugged before crowding around David, teasing him again.
The fairy walked, biting her lip. For the first time since her surge of strength, she noticed that her heart was still fluttering weakly. It didn't make sense. Holly closed her eyes, fighting to keep her head up, not even aware where she was going.
"Water fountains the other way, you know," said a familiar voice. Holly stiffened, before slowly turning around. She dreaded to speak with him, but she was not going to run away.
"I ... just decided to take a detour," retorted Holly, "To cool off."
Artemis smiled in a way that was not at all reassuring. He tossed her a water bottle. Holly caught it easily, but she asked dubiously, "Is this poisoned?"
The Irish youth responded smoothly, "If it was, I wouldn't have touched it with my bare hands."
"I'm sure," said Holly, looking at him suspiciously. Nonetheless, she needed water. Badly. Holly uncapped the bottle and drank it eagerly. She just hoped that, if it had been poisoned, her magic would automatically neutralize it. Holly finished half the bottle before pouring the rest over head in a move that, once again, Artemis found very familiar. "What is it that you want, Fowl?" asked Holly after resting a few moments.
"What makes you say that?" asked the sapphire-eyed youth, feigning innocence.
Holly rolled her eyes. "You never do anything without reason, Fowl," retorted Holly. "Are you going to blackmail me or something?"
Artemis smiled coolly, "I suppose I could. But then again... I do owe you for saving me from that incident in the library."
"Yeah..." murmured Holly, suddenly feeling lost and unsure in front of her long time adversary. She shied away from his gaze, feeling the history between the two of them and feeling uncomfortable that he didn't know. Unbidden, thoughts of her regret over the Council's decision about Artemis Fowl's mindwipe rose in her mind. In the deepest, darkest part of her heart, Holly could admit it... She had never wanted the mindwipe for Artemis. So, even though he now approached her with as innocent an intention as a lion would a gazelle, she did not fear him or hate him as she had in the past. Instead, inexplicably, she felt guilt.
"Alexei..." said Artemis.
"Don't call me that," said the red haired elf brusquely. Her hazel eyes rose up to meet his, warm hazel vibrant with raw emotion clashing with coldly beautiful sapphire blue. For long moments, they stared at one another, equally absorbed. In Artemis's mind, he began to recollect his dream from the night before. He had seen another like Alexei, too much like Alexei. He had seen...
"Alexei," called another. The two broke apart. Alexei flushed and backed away guiltily. Artemis tracked his actions with a bemused eye before turning to where the newcomer had entered. Aidan had jogged up to see both of them. He paused at the scene, processing the information. "Am I disturbing something?" he asked.
"Nah," denied Alexei right away. "Artemis was just giving me his water bottle. I got lost." He smiled brightly, a little too brightly. "Is it time for the next class?"
Aidan nodded. "The teacher told me to get you," he stated. "We should head back to the locker rooms."
Alexei's smile became fixed. "L-locker rooms?"
Aidan nodded, looking curious, "Yes, the locker rooms. The three of us should go. We need to change. Alexei, you might want to take a bath."
"Bath?" squeaked out Alexei in a way that seemed entirely feminine. Artemis and Aidan stared at him. Alexei seemed pained. "I'll... you two run along. I'll catch up."
Aidan cast him a confused glance. "But you don't even know the way back," he commented.
An astute deduction, thought Artemis, inwardly congratulating his classmate.
Alexei seemed cornered. He mumbled something, before finally whispering a jumble of words. Aidan stepped forward. "Pardon?" he inquired.
"I said," gritted the red haired boy, "I'm not feeling too well. I'd like to go to the Nurse's office."
"You're not feeling faint again, are you?" frowned the mahogany brown haired Aidan, stepping forward.
"No!" insisted Alexei. "I just feel a little ill, and I'd like to have my earpieces inspected. I'm going now."
Without a backwards glance, he jogged up towards the Cathedral. Aidan followed, looking thoroughly bemused. Artemis traced their path upwards towards the cathedral, feeling pensive himself.
"You can come out now, Isolde," stated Artemis in his usual monotone. The Irish youth swiveled around to face a not too distant tree where the female was leaning. A sensual smile curved up her full lips.
"How long have you known I was there?" asked Isolde, looking pleased.
"For as long as you were there," responded Artemis flatly. "I don't appreciate being spied on."
"I wasn't spying on you, love," laughed Isolde. "I was checking to see Alexei. Marvelous, isn't he?"
Artemis folded his arms. "For some reason, Alexei strikes me as someone who doesn't appreciate being spied on either."
Isolde's smile widened, "Jealous?"
Artemis started towards the Cathedral. "Hardly," he answered, not even waiting for Isolde.
"Hey, hey," called Isolde, catching up with him. She pulled him back towards her. "You know you're the one for me, Artemis."
Artemis stared at her blankly.
Isolde continued, undeterred by his frosty gaze, "My family has always wanted me to marry into the Fowls."
The raven-haired youth passed by her once more, "Notwithstanding my family's criminal record, no doubt."
"Criminal records... make you all the more interesting, darling," purred Isolde. Her arms enfolded Artemis from behind. Artemis closed his eyes briefly before stepping away.
"Don't touch me, Isolde," he whispered in a voice that was deadly serious. "I mean it. That was a long time ago, and I don't mean to ever go back in the past."
Isolde watched him go, her expression inscrutable. "Artemis..." she said quietly, "You know you'll come back to me. There's no one in the world that can keep you interested for long except me."
"Don't count on it," he tossed back carelessly.
Holly stared at her image in the mirror in absolute horror. Really, nothing worse could have gone wrong. Not a damn thing. She might as well have sprouted wings, become luminescent, and had a wand for gods' sake. Holly stopped that train of thought. No need to tempt Morgana.
The said elf was currently staring at her image in the wall mirror in the boy's locker room. The locker room was long empty due to the fact that the bell rang quite some time ago. Holly had made a fuss, gone to the Nurse's Office, stalled long enough for everyone to leave, and then snuck back into the locker room for a bath and a change. She'd made damn well sure that no one was inside the locker room, and even went so far as to lock the doors to make sure no one went back in. Paranoia had only made Holly take a shower all the faster.
So far, so good. Everything was going according to plan, for once. Then the gods just had to slap her in the face. Scratch that; it wasn't a slap. It was more like getting hit by a tidal wave. Holly was innocently running a brush through her unruly, red locks when she'd hit a snag and pulled hard. A weird sensation then permeated her scalp. Frowning, the elf went to check the mirror and what she saw floored her. Literally.
Her once, neat, short red hair was now hanging unevenly down to her shoulders. Her pointy ears, freed from the constraining comset, were the only things that peeked out from the messy red nest on her head. All in all, with her mouth hanging wide open, and her hazel eyes the size of saucers, it was not a pretty picture. D'Arvit. D'Arvit, D'Arvit, D'Arvit!!!
Biting her trembling lip, the shaken LEP agent slowly began brushing her hair once more. At first the action was monotonous, soothing. Then as her hair began to fall in ordered waves around her, she began to panic. Hysterically, Holly brushed and the more she brushed, the more she was sure. Sometime between taking her clothes off for a shower and drying herself off, her hair had decided it was no longer content in its length and had decided to grow by quite a few centimeters. Holly took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Really, the situation wasn't all that bad. In fact, she didn't even know why she was so stressed about it. After all, hair can be cut back to its proper length. Granted, it would most likely look more like a work the gardener from hell did, but it was much preferable to the long, mop growing on her head now. Holly tugged experimentally at a strand, just to make sure that it wasn't growing at an accelerated speed at the moment. It seemed stable. She could imagine her trouble if her hair grew even more in one of her classes. From now on, she was going to keep one of those silly Mud Men caps in her bag.
Thinking of which... Holly turned a semicircle, still clad in a towel, at the empty locker room. No... it was too much to hope that some of the boys would have left a scissor in there, not even a knife. The wimps. So her current predicament crashed down on her. How was she to sneak into a classroom and borrow a pair of scissors. But how to do it when said classrooms are filled to the brim with Mud Men? Nightmare. Furthermore, the locker room wouldn't stay empty for long. Sooner or later, the next class would file in, and then she'd be in real, deep guano. As a final impediment to her recovery, Foaly was logged off. Flares were up.
The door rattled. Surprised voices from outside went, "What the-? Why're the doors locked?" As swiftly as possible, Holly began changing to her school uniform.
Another chimed in, "Shove it, Stanton. HELLO???? IS ANYONE IN THERE????" There was a sound of shuffling as the Mud Boys turned around and finally spotted a nun who would be able to help them. Holly's pants, socks, and shoes came on.
"What is all this nonsense?" cried the lady, frowning disapprovingly at them all despite that they were now at their best behavior. "Locked doors? Of course not! It's a strict school rule that the locker door rooms should never be locked!" Holly's towel was shed, bindings came on, shirt came on (with terribly mismatched buttons), jacket came on.
"But, Sister Lisa, it is locked!" whined another voice. The elf's school tie was stuffed with her other belongings.
"Oh dear Heavens. If this be some prank..." she muttered. The doorknob jiggled quite vigorously. The nun did not sound very happy. "Open up! Is anyone in there???" The knob jiggled some more, and there was the clinking sound of keys being fumbled with. The LEP agent's belongings were dumped onto a huge towel.
Holly had only about a few seconds left to her. Quickly, she knotted up the towel, grabbed another huge towel, and made a running dive for the laundry chute. A second after her nosedive and after she had covered herself with the towel, the door opened and the sister blinked at the empty, spacious room.
Perhaps diving into the unknown was not the best of ideas, Holly reflected as soon as she was encased in shadow. After all, it seemed very much like a vertical drop. Despite Holly's training as shuttle driver, she couldn't bite back the loud, "OH D'AAAAAAAAARVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!!!!" Classes in the Cathedral were interrupted upon hearing such a loud though otherwise unknown expletive tear itself from a disembodied voice that seemed to come from the ceiling and then fall down to the floor.
In another classroom, David excitedly jumped up despite the shouts amidst his classmates about possession and the devil, and cried, "It's the voice of God!"
Artemis adopted a more somber though sarcastic tone, "It's a fallen angel."
Fallen angels probably had more graceful landings. Holly plopped onto a large, garbage disposal sized container filled with dirty Mud Boy Laundry. If Holly weren't preoccupied about keeping her cover, a few choice words would have dropped from her lips about Mud Men hygiene. As it happened she contented herself by lying very still, listening for any sounds in the darkened room. She could sense vibrations from rows of washers and dryers, but otherwise the large room seemed to be deserted. No doubt the actual washing hours commenced after dark.
Very carefully, Holly raised herself and glanced about. Again, her eyes confirmed what her other senses had told her. No one was there. Nothing living, at least. The ruby haired elf shivered in remembrance of the sack of fairy skeletons. Come to think of it, the body bag could resemble the laundry sacks... She shook her head. No point in psyching herself out. Very lithely, like a feline, Holly unfolded herself and snaked across the laundry container. She rolled over the edge and dropped to the side with only a whisper of a sound courtesy of LEP training.
What her LEP training hadn't prepared herself for was the loud thump her heart made upon contact with the ground. What below the Earth...
A graceful hand immediately pressed to her chest, feeling the abruptly irregular beating heart within. Oh for all the things that walked below the Earth, her seizures had the worst timing... Not rapidly, but with a sense of urgency, the LEP Recon captain moved for the doorway. A towel was dumped on her head, just in case. It was poor disguise, but she had no choice.
The doorknob jiggled. The door was locked. Gritting her teeth, Holly jiggled it more firmly, but it remained in place. She patted herself, trying to find a hairpin, something, anything, but there wasn't anything that could help her. Once more, she cursed her luck for not being in LEP uniform. She felt ridiculous and extremely out of place. The elf scooted to the furthest row in the darkness, her frustration and anxiety building. She wasn't afraid of being trapped forever. Sooner or later, someone would come in and it was only a matter of stealth for Holly to make her way out.
As she lay there, waiting in the near pitch darkness, she discerned something. A soft whisper: a step. No, three steps. Uneven gaits... one... two, three...one.... Two, three... Though her heart shuddered from the strange seizures, it accelerated painfully once more. She took an uneasy breath. Even with Holly's enhanced elfin hearing, she could not discern what type of shoe could make such a heavy, padding sound. The footfalls stopped. A cold stillness descended upon the darkened room. Slowly, so slowly one could barely feel it, the hair in the back of her hair rose. A growing chill began to permeate the room.
The footfalls began once more. Disconcertingly, it was not on the opposite end of the room. This time it was closer, ever closer... It was not the soft padding on hard stone floor. It was strange. Tremors were racing through the laundry machines, and Holly realized, with a start, that whatever it was, it was walking on the washers! Holly quickly scooted as soundlessly as possible to another row. Her seizures were barely abating, and her head swam with the quick, furtive movements.
As soon as she rested against the next row, metal crashes boomed into the room. From what the red haired elf could conjure, it seemed that the lids of the washers were being slammed upwards rapidly and consecutively. The elf shook her head, trying to clear the sudden rise of panic and hysteria. Holly was renowned for keeping her head in the midst of danger. She was not one easily unnerved. But it was as if a noxious vapor was suffusing the room, entering her lungs, and making her reluctant body move sluggishly.
Bam! Bam! Bam! That was the sound of washer lids being slammed upwards.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! That was the sound of a heavy creature jumping from one row of washers to the next. The metal machines shrieked in protest at the abuses. Whatever the creature was, it was heavy.
Then something came to Holly, a whisper altogether apart from the sound of approaching creatures in the dark. A whisper. A chanted hymn. A canticle. "Know me... come with me... I will..." It was the same. It was the same voice that sang to her in her dreams. Somehow, she did not know how, it spoke to her in her wake.
The door opened abruptly and a shower of light fell inside the room. The doorway framed the silhouette of a nun. Uncaring whether she was seen, Holly ran for the open door. Out... I need out! was all she could think of. She crashed into the nun who promptly fell back with an indignant squawk before Holly sped away from the scene, unheeding that her flame colored hair flew like a silken banner behind her.
The nun rolled over to the side disgracefully, screeching all the while. However, the elderly female made no move to chase after Holly despite her fury at being knocked into. Bizarrely, the nun stepped into the laundry after furtively glancing around to make sure none saw her. The moment she secured the door close, her features were lit by an eerie dark green glow that twisted her visage to resemble a reptile.
"What is it?" she hissed angrily at the door. "What are you doing? We could have been discovered!"
There was a shift in the shadows and the nun visibly blanched and backed away. "No, no, not at all!" she whispered furiously. "Please, I beg you, no! P-!" An abrupt silence ensued broken only shortly by a soft thump. The uneven gait of one... two, three... one....two, three petered into the darkness.
Scene Seven
A series of little mishaps
"Alexei? Alexei.... Alexei, are you awake?" called Aidan. He frowned at the wooden barrier that blocked his view of his classmate's room. "Alexei, it's getting really late. You need to get up."
From within her room, Holly groaned into her pillow. Her muscles ached, her head ached, and she was in no mood to deal with "school" of all things. Hazel eyes cracked open in irritation. "This... cannot... be happening... to me," she groaned once more. She closed her eyes, recalling the events only a few hours ago.
Tuesday dawn
Holly bit her lip, cursing her recalcitrant magic but more cursing the boy who had melted into the shadows in a window high above. Of all the luck, it had to him who was looking out their window when she made her way back to the Monastery. As if finding and burying a bag of dead fairy bodies, being attacked by something not quite human, and escaping discovery by the breadth of a hair was not arduous enough. She must have done something really bad in her past life to deserve this.
Speak of the devil... A manservant had exited the Monastery front entrance and was circling around the Monastery. Holly fists clenched in utter frustration and dread. A brawl with one manservant had been a narrow victory. Once more and in gaze of a public building too? She better move now or she'd be caught. But she wasn't going to take chances with Artemis Fowl on the lookout.
"Foaly..." muttered the elf. "You had better be there or I'll never make good on that carton of carrots I promised you."
"It wounds me, sweetie, that you so doubt my devotion to you," answered Foaly, laughter in his voice. "Some situation you've wound yourself up in, by the way."
"Thanks for noticing," answered the red haired fairy sarcastically. "I need a diversion..."
"Diversion? What for?" asked the centaur. "Just climb up! Same way you used last time."
"Last time... Last time Artemis Fowl wasn't by his window." hissed Holly fiercely.
"Ooh," laughed the centaur. "Master Fowl is awake? On the lookout? Bets are he's got cameras all over the place."
"Shut up," whispered Holly, frantically trying to keep her voice down. "Pull the power."
"What?!" goggled Foaly.
"I said pull it," commanded Holly. "I can't go back the same way with so many eyes watching. Pull the power and give me enough time to slip back inside my dorm."
"Right away, Captain," assented Foaly. Normally, the centaur would have put up further arguments, but that manservant was getting a bit too close for comfort. Within a few seconds, nightlights flooding the Monastery were abruptly switched off leaving everything in complete darkness. Holly took a couple of deep breaths and blinked several times, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Thank Dana that fairies were gifted with keen eyes to make their way through the night. It was no substitute for LEP night vision but beggars aren't choosers.
Holly gazed upwards, eyes tracing her route. It was going to be some climb.
Present
Aidan was hard pressed not to give the door a very peeved look lest it might open. His roommate was there, Aidan was sure of it, but whether he was truly dead to the world or just ignoring him... Aidan shrugged, moving to pick up his book bag and exit the room. With a last long lingering look at Alexei's door, the mahogany haired boy departed.
Later
Holly was pissed. No, she was beyond pissed. She was downright infuriated. And the worst part about it? She couldn't do a damn thing about it. She was just dozing a little on her bed (making up for the lost sleep the night before; surely a night like that warranted a bit of rest!) when she thought she heard the most annoying and persistent knocking on her door. She ignored it, but after a while the knocking started sounding more and more like someone was using a small, battering ram at it. The frame shook threateningly and that was when Holly gave a yelp of surprise and dove for her clothes. She'd barely managed to put together her uniform (crumpled and very sorry looking) along with her earset when the door finally swung open. Holly was prepared to yell at Aidan (whom she believed had taken his duty as roommate a little too far) when the words died in her throat and all she saw was the nun (not carrying anything, but her left fist looked a little red) with a ferocious scowl on her face and a key on the other. Whatever protests Holly might have said were drowned out quickly as the nun's angry furor crashed into her like a tidal wave.
The next hour was spent being yelled at about character, ethics, morals, the vice that was laziness and all its evil, and her duty to be a good student so that her parents could be proud of her. Either Dana was looking after her or perhaps Holly was too stunned and sleepy to say much of anything back, but the elf managed to scrape through that little torture without yelling back and getting caught. However, when the nun assigned extra work on top of what she was already doing (a letter of some sort, handwritten, that said: I will not be lazy...) Holly felt something snap. Indignation and rage smoldered in her eyes and her daydreams were suddenly filled with a thousand and one ways to disable demons disguised as nuns.
You great, big bully, thought Holly blackly, wishing her gaze was sufficient to melt flesh. The nun was leading a very reluctant Holly to the soccer field near the main Cathedral. Despite her protests and waving her medical papers, the nun had insisted and Holly could not refuse without drawing further fire and attention to herself. So a very enraged Holly Short, dressed in the proper soccer shorts and shirt (Thank Dana no one had been in the locker room when she got dressed), was being forced to play this horrid Mud Men sport with little Mud Boys and Girls. Oh the horror...
The first thing that went wrong was that the nun had, in her tirade, forgotten to take stock of which class Holly was supposed to be in. So she had dumped Holly off at the first soccer class she was in. The nun had shoved a soccer ball at Holly, who stood staring at it dumbly for a minute. Exasperated and beginning to question Holly's mental health, the nun had forcefully pushed Holly into the game and strode away.
"A plastic ball..." muttered Holly to herself, realizing the second thing that went wrong. She didn't know what soccer was. That is, she knew that it was a sport but other than kicking it around (or was that football?) she had little idea what to do with it.
"Well, join in the game!" yelled a dark haired boy. Holly stared at him, preoccupied. Wasn't he..."Uh... are you dumb or something?" asked the boy again. That would be the third thing that went wrong. The fourth thing that went wrong followed soon after. A ball flew out of nowhere and hit Holly squarely on the stomach. Holly stumbled back, amazed. On the other side of the field, was Artemis who was saying, "As I've said, kicking soccer balls is not my forte. If you just let me plan the team strategy, David..."
Holly did a double take. Artemis just kicked a soccer ball at her. Artemis who looked as though he were probably going to get out of playing soccer. Artemis who had contributed to make her night and the following morning a living hell. Artemis who didn't even bother to apologize for the soccer ball.
David had burst out laughing before jogging over to Artemis. "Look, pal," he responded cheerfully, "that was a good kick except you didn't aim your right."
"I am in no way, shape, or form, a pal or comrade of yours in any sense of the word," shot Artemis back in words that would have put winter to shame.
"Aww, I'm wounded," laughed David. "Don't you wanna impress Isolde?"
Artemis's scathing reply died in his throat as his blue eyes widened and he ducked. David opened his mouth to question Artemis when a soccer ball slammed into his chest and toppled him over. Stunned, with the breath knocked out of him, David blinked foolishly at the blue sky.
"Yeah, David, why don't you leave Artemis there and I'll show you just how dumb I am," spoke Holly, her smile as lethal as a gun.
Artemis straightened up and focused his cool sapphire eyes at the boy at the other side of the field. That shot... the trajectory was direct, the force too much for it to be accidental... That was intended.
"Besides, I doubt Artemis can actually run a couple of feet without breaking down from heat exhaustion," sang out Holly. "He's much too girly for physical education, you see."
What was his problem? Artemis narrowed his eyes. "Oh really," drawled Artemis grimly.
Then the new boy did something entirely unsettling. He smiled a peculiar smile, a quirky smile that spoke of mischief and secret. "I say exactly what I mean," he said in a tone that belied a wealth of meaning. Artemis stared, a feeling of nostalgia washing over him. He had seen that smile before, been at the receiving end of that explosive temper before...
David staggered up, leaning heavily on an unwilling Artemis. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," wheezed the boy.
Holly fixed him with flashing, narrowed hazel eyes, "Got a problem with that?"
"I don't mind... that you called Artemis a girl... or that you think he can't run... or that he can't play. Period," breathed David. "I think you're probably right in that respect. But what I do mind... is the kick. Damn, where the hell did you learn how to kick like that???"
Artemis scowled and stepped away entirely from David, letting the boy stagger before crumpling to the grass again. Holly grinned brilliantly at the two boys, "Try me and find out. I'll take ya both on. That is... if Master Fowl is not too delicate to take on the challenge."
David shot up from his seated position, still wincing a little at his most probably bruised stomach, but eyes flaring. "Sounds like a dare to me. Come on, Artemis, let's show the new kid his place," he responded.
Artemis scowled at David once more, reluctant to be dragged to a physical activity. "Like I said," insisted the Irish youth, "Why don't you let me plan your strategies and win this one?"
David rolled his eyes and said, "Fine, fine."
The new kid merely laughed. Some kids who had been paying attention cleared a little space for the impromptu one on one match between David and Alexei. David bared his teeth, "Ready to lose?"
Alexei smirked, "All I have to do is kick that ball to the goal, am I right?"
David smirked back, "Correct."
"You're going to eat your words," whispered the red haired boy. As soon as one of the by standers signaled the beginning of the match, Alexei quickly acquired the ball and set off at a lightning quick pace. David, initially, was too surprised to keep up, but he quickly adapted and was gamely blocking Alexei. It was clear from the beginning that Alexei was the quicker and more agile of the two whereas David had strength and experience on his side. However, all the experience in the world did not help if you could not keep up with your enemy. Within five minutes, Alexei had dodged past David and scored a goal.
A cheer rose from the class, surprising Holly. To her dismay, the majority of the class had gathered to watch the spectacle. Currently, they were laughing and chatting excitedly amongst themselves. Some were teasing David who mock scowled at them. But underneath his laughing façade, Holly knew she had rankled him. Good.
David jogged up to where Artemis stood underneath the shade of a convenient tree. "Well???" he demanded. "I hope you got some miracle plan cooked up in that head of yours 'cuz I'm getting beat."
"I noticed," said Artemis dryly. The raven haired Irish youth mulled over the display he had seen a few moments before, calling to mind's eye the way both David and Alexei had moved. Alexei was amazingly fast, but his tactics were... simple. It was almost as if he were feeling the game around. Artemis had a peculiar inkling that this was the first time Alexei was playing the game.
"If Alexei keeps on moving the way he is now, he's bound to tire. He's quick, but he won't last forever," stated Artemis. "Use that advantage. Wear him out." David eyed Artemis incredulously.
"That's it?" asked David, "That's your wonderful strategy that you wanted to sit out of to make?"
Artemis allowed a cool smile to descend upon his lips, "The best strategies are the simplest ones, David." David rolled his eyes and walked down to where Alexei was waiting for him. It was true. Alexei would not be able to keep up the pace. Time was on their side.
Alexei scored a few more goals, but as the game progressed, almost everyone knew what was happening. Alexei was getting slower and slower, and he was not able to defend himself against David's well-placed strikes. David began scoring. The crowd watched with baited breath. Alexei's scores and David's were at an even.
Holly's bosom heaved in exertion. Her hazel eyes were dimmed and a hand felt its way to her chest where her heart fluttered weakly. Soon... the game had to end soon. The elf supposed that she could always forfeit, but giving up was not her style. Someone had to show these Mud Boys her place. But soon. She had to do it soon or else...
"Ready to give up?" laughed David at Alexei. Unlike Alexei, David was still energetic and ready to go. His superior strength and endurance was clearly evident. Alexei gave him a withering glare.
David immediately commenced control of the ball, his speed gaining the more he had it. Alexei ran after David but suddenly halted when his heart shuddered.
Holly's hand flew to her chest. Strength drained from her limbs. Blackness began eating her vision. Abruptly, she hated it. She hated the weakness, hated her body's frailty. Anger flamed inside hazel eyes. "I am not going to lose," she whispered fiercely to herself. "Not to weaknesses, and especially not to cocky, arrogant Mud Boys. I won't!" Holly darted off after David, for the first time freely letting her fairy instincts to take over.
To the side, admiring murmurs and gasps were heard as the students commented on Alexei's surprising speed. But one was seeing far more than just speed. Artemis stood up, eyes zeroing in on Alexei. Unconsciously, the sapphire-eyed youth took long strides forward, allowing him greater proximity and vantage point to where both David and Alexei were battling on the field for control of the ball. He had to be sure. Just a moment ago, he thought he saw something, but now it wasn't there.
A wild kick had the ball flying over both David and Alexei's heads and spinning away far up in the air and to Alexei's back. David immediately pelted off after it, but Holly had other ideas. She smiled dangerously before back flipping. She would be slower than David, sure, but David wasn't getting up in the air. At the last backflip, Holly added an extra spring and the momentum caused Holly to soar several feet into the air. The spinning soccer ball flashed in her sight. Perfect. Using the backward motion to power her kick, Holly let out a devastating lash that caused the ball to shoot like a bullet towards the goal.
There it was. Just as Alexei was running, back flipping, and especially when he back flipped right before he kicked the ball, Artemis was sure of it. He had seen wings. Translucent wings that, when struck by sun, let off a rainbow of colors. Graceful, fairy wings that beat in time to Alexei's fast pace. The wings were now outstretched, catching the wind and softening Alexei's fall as the boy landed almost gently back to the Earth. As soon as Alexei's feet were firmly planted on the ground, the wings disappeared.
The Irish youth quickly looked to the side. His classmates were rushing over to Alexei to congratulate him exuberantly on his win. Apparently, none of them had noticed a thing. Neither did David who was just scowling at Alexei. Artemis narrowed his eyes. Interesting...
Holly felt a little claustrophobic as several students crowded around her, breathing words of admiration and compliments. More than anything, she wished for them to give her breathing space. Her body ached and felt weak in a way she knew had nothing to do with being exhausted. She batted their hands away and stumbled off, calling, "Need to get some water." The students shrugged before crowding around David, teasing him again.
The fairy walked, biting her lip. For the first time since her surge of strength, she noticed that her heart was still fluttering weakly. It didn't make sense. Holly closed her eyes, fighting to keep her head up, not even aware where she was going.
"Water fountains the other way, you know," said a familiar voice. Holly stiffened, before slowly turning around. She dreaded to speak with him, but she was not going to run away.
"I ... just decided to take a detour," retorted Holly, "To cool off."
Artemis smiled in a way that was not at all reassuring. He tossed her a water bottle. Holly caught it easily, but she asked dubiously, "Is this poisoned?"
The Irish youth responded smoothly, "If it was, I wouldn't have touched it with my bare hands."
"I'm sure," said Holly, looking at him suspiciously. Nonetheless, she needed water. Badly. Holly uncapped the bottle and drank it eagerly. She just hoped that, if it had been poisoned, her magic would automatically neutralize it. Holly finished half the bottle before pouring the rest over head in a move that, once again, Artemis found very familiar. "What is it that you want, Fowl?" asked Holly after resting a few moments.
"What makes you say that?" asked the sapphire-eyed youth, feigning innocence.
Holly rolled her eyes. "You never do anything without reason, Fowl," retorted Holly. "Are you going to blackmail me or something?"
Artemis smiled coolly, "I suppose I could. But then again... I do owe you for saving me from that incident in the library."
"Yeah..." murmured Holly, suddenly feeling lost and unsure in front of her long time adversary. She shied away from his gaze, feeling the history between the two of them and feeling uncomfortable that he didn't know. Unbidden, thoughts of her regret over the Council's decision about Artemis Fowl's mindwipe rose in her mind. In the deepest, darkest part of her heart, Holly could admit it... She had never wanted the mindwipe for Artemis. So, even though he now approached her with as innocent an intention as a lion would a gazelle, she did not fear him or hate him as she had in the past. Instead, inexplicably, she felt guilt.
"Alexei..." said Artemis.
"Don't call me that," said the red haired elf brusquely. Her hazel eyes rose up to meet his, warm hazel vibrant with raw emotion clashing with coldly beautiful sapphire blue. For long moments, they stared at one another, equally absorbed. In Artemis's mind, he began to recollect his dream from the night before. He had seen another like Alexei, too much like Alexei. He had seen...
"Alexei," called another. The two broke apart. Alexei flushed and backed away guiltily. Artemis tracked his actions with a bemused eye before turning to where the newcomer had entered. Aidan had jogged up to see both of them. He paused at the scene, processing the information. "Am I disturbing something?" he asked.
"Nah," denied Alexei right away. "Artemis was just giving me his water bottle. I got lost." He smiled brightly, a little too brightly. "Is it time for the next class?"
Aidan nodded. "The teacher told me to get you," he stated. "We should head back to the locker rooms."
Alexei's smile became fixed. "L-locker rooms?"
Aidan nodded, looking curious, "Yes, the locker rooms. The three of us should go. We need to change. Alexei, you might want to take a bath."
"Bath?" squeaked out Alexei in a way that seemed entirely feminine. Artemis and Aidan stared at him. Alexei seemed pained. "I'll... you two run along. I'll catch up."
Aidan cast him a confused glance. "But you don't even know the way back," he commented.
An astute deduction, thought Artemis, inwardly congratulating his classmate.
Alexei seemed cornered. He mumbled something, before finally whispering a jumble of words. Aidan stepped forward. "Pardon?" he inquired.
"I said," gritted the red haired boy, "I'm not feeling too well. I'd like to go to the Nurse's office."
"You're not feeling faint again, are you?" frowned the mahogany brown haired Aidan, stepping forward.
"No!" insisted Alexei. "I just feel a little ill, and I'd like to have my earpieces inspected. I'm going now."
Without a backwards glance, he jogged up towards the Cathedral. Aidan followed, looking thoroughly bemused. Artemis traced their path upwards towards the cathedral, feeling pensive himself.
"You can come out now, Isolde," stated Artemis in his usual monotone. The Irish youth swiveled around to face a not too distant tree where the female was leaning. A sensual smile curved up her full lips.
"How long have you known I was there?" asked Isolde, looking pleased.
"For as long as you were there," responded Artemis flatly. "I don't appreciate being spied on."
"I wasn't spying on you, love," laughed Isolde. "I was checking to see Alexei. Marvelous, isn't he?"
Artemis folded his arms. "For some reason, Alexei strikes me as someone who doesn't appreciate being spied on either."
Isolde's smile widened, "Jealous?"
Artemis started towards the Cathedral. "Hardly," he answered, not even waiting for Isolde.
"Hey, hey," called Isolde, catching up with him. She pulled him back towards her. "You know you're the one for me, Artemis."
Artemis stared at her blankly.
Isolde continued, undeterred by his frosty gaze, "My family has always wanted me to marry into the Fowls."
The raven-haired youth passed by her once more, "Notwithstanding my family's criminal record, no doubt."
"Criminal records... make you all the more interesting, darling," purred Isolde. Her arms enfolded Artemis from behind. Artemis closed his eyes briefly before stepping away.
"Don't touch me, Isolde," he whispered in a voice that was deadly serious. "I mean it. That was a long time ago, and I don't mean to ever go back in the past."
Isolde watched him go, her expression inscrutable. "Artemis..." she said quietly, "You know you'll come back to me. There's no one in the world that can keep you interested for long except me."
"Don't count on it," he tossed back carelessly.
Holly stared at her image in the mirror in absolute horror. Really, nothing worse could have gone wrong. Not a damn thing. She might as well have sprouted wings, become luminescent, and had a wand for gods' sake. Holly stopped that train of thought. No need to tempt Morgana.
The said elf was currently staring at her image in the wall mirror in the boy's locker room. The locker room was long empty due to the fact that the bell rang quite some time ago. Holly had made a fuss, gone to the Nurse's Office, stalled long enough for everyone to leave, and then snuck back into the locker room for a bath and a change. She'd made damn well sure that no one was inside the locker room, and even went so far as to lock the doors to make sure no one went back in. Paranoia had only made Holly take a shower all the faster.
So far, so good. Everything was going according to plan, for once. Then the gods just had to slap her in the face. Scratch that; it wasn't a slap. It was more like getting hit by a tidal wave. Holly was innocently running a brush through her unruly, red locks when she'd hit a snag and pulled hard. A weird sensation then permeated her scalp. Frowning, the elf went to check the mirror and what she saw floored her. Literally.
Her once, neat, short red hair was now hanging unevenly down to her shoulders. Her pointy ears, freed from the constraining comset, were the only things that peeked out from the messy red nest on her head. All in all, with her mouth hanging wide open, and her hazel eyes the size of saucers, it was not a pretty picture. D'Arvit. D'Arvit, D'Arvit, D'Arvit!!!
Biting her trembling lip, the shaken LEP agent slowly began brushing her hair once more. At first the action was monotonous, soothing. Then as her hair began to fall in ordered waves around her, she began to panic. Hysterically, Holly brushed and the more she brushed, the more she was sure. Sometime between taking her clothes off for a shower and drying herself off, her hair had decided it was no longer content in its length and had decided to grow by quite a few centimeters. Holly took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Really, the situation wasn't all that bad. In fact, she didn't even know why she was so stressed about it. After all, hair can be cut back to its proper length. Granted, it would most likely look more like a work the gardener from hell did, but it was much preferable to the long, mop growing on her head now. Holly tugged experimentally at a strand, just to make sure that it wasn't growing at an accelerated speed at the moment. It seemed stable. She could imagine her trouble if her hair grew even more in one of her classes. From now on, she was going to keep one of those silly Mud Men caps in her bag.
Thinking of which... Holly turned a semicircle, still clad in a towel, at the empty locker room. No... it was too much to hope that some of the boys would have left a scissor in there, not even a knife. The wimps. So her current predicament crashed down on her. How was she to sneak into a classroom and borrow a pair of scissors. But how to do it when said classrooms are filled to the brim with Mud Men? Nightmare. Furthermore, the locker room wouldn't stay empty for long. Sooner or later, the next class would file in, and then she'd be in real, deep guano. As a final impediment to her recovery, Foaly was logged off. Flares were up.
The door rattled. Surprised voices from outside went, "What the-? Why're the doors locked?" As swiftly as possible, Holly began changing to her school uniform.
Another chimed in, "Shove it, Stanton. HELLO???? IS ANYONE IN THERE????" There was a sound of shuffling as the Mud Boys turned around and finally spotted a nun who would be able to help them. Holly's pants, socks, and shoes came on.
"What is all this nonsense?" cried the lady, frowning disapprovingly at them all despite that they were now at their best behavior. "Locked doors? Of course not! It's a strict school rule that the locker door rooms should never be locked!" Holly's towel was shed, bindings came on, shirt came on (with terribly mismatched buttons), jacket came on.
"But, Sister Lisa, it is locked!" whined another voice. The elf's school tie was stuffed with her other belongings.
"Oh dear Heavens. If this be some prank..." she muttered. The doorknob jiggled quite vigorously. The nun did not sound very happy. "Open up! Is anyone in there???" The knob jiggled some more, and there was the clinking sound of keys being fumbled with. The LEP agent's belongings were dumped onto a huge towel.
Holly had only about a few seconds left to her. Quickly, she knotted up the towel, grabbed another huge towel, and made a running dive for the laundry chute. A second after her nosedive and after she had covered herself with the towel, the door opened and the sister blinked at the empty, spacious room.
Perhaps diving into the unknown was not the best of ideas, Holly reflected as soon as she was encased in shadow. After all, it seemed very much like a vertical drop. Despite Holly's training as shuttle driver, she couldn't bite back the loud, "OH D'AAAAAAAAARVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!!!!" Classes in the Cathedral were interrupted upon hearing such a loud though otherwise unknown expletive tear itself from a disembodied voice that seemed to come from the ceiling and then fall down to the floor.
In another classroom, David excitedly jumped up despite the shouts amidst his classmates about possession and the devil, and cried, "It's the voice of God!"
Artemis adopted a more somber though sarcastic tone, "It's a fallen angel."
Fallen angels probably had more graceful landings. Holly plopped onto a large, garbage disposal sized container filled with dirty Mud Boy Laundry. If Holly weren't preoccupied about keeping her cover, a few choice words would have dropped from her lips about Mud Men hygiene. As it happened she contented herself by lying very still, listening for any sounds in the darkened room. She could sense vibrations from rows of washers and dryers, but otherwise the large room seemed to be deserted. No doubt the actual washing hours commenced after dark.
Very carefully, Holly raised herself and glanced about. Again, her eyes confirmed what her other senses had told her. No one was there. Nothing living, at least. The ruby haired elf shivered in remembrance of the sack of fairy skeletons. Come to think of it, the body bag could resemble the laundry sacks... She shook her head. No point in psyching herself out. Very lithely, like a feline, Holly unfolded herself and snaked across the laundry container. She rolled over the edge and dropped to the side with only a whisper of a sound courtesy of LEP training.
What her LEP training hadn't prepared herself for was the loud thump her heart made upon contact with the ground. What below the Earth...
A graceful hand immediately pressed to her chest, feeling the abruptly irregular beating heart within. Oh for all the things that walked below the Earth, her seizures had the worst timing... Not rapidly, but with a sense of urgency, the LEP Recon captain moved for the doorway. A towel was dumped on her head, just in case. It was poor disguise, but she had no choice.
The doorknob jiggled. The door was locked. Gritting her teeth, Holly jiggled it more firmly, but it remained in place. She patted herself, trying to find a hairpin, something, anything, but there wasn't anything that could help her. Once more, she cursed her luck for not being in LEP uniform. She felt ridiculous and extremely out of place. The elf scooted to the furthest row in the darkness, her frustration and anxiety building. She wasn't afraid of being trapped forever. Sooner or later, someone would come in and it was only a matter of stealth for Holly to make her way out.
As she lay there, waiting in the near pitch darkness, she discerned something. A soft whisper: a step. No, three steps. Uneven gaits... one... two, three...one.... Two, three... Though her heart shuddered from the strange seizures, it accelerated painfully once more. She took an uneasy breath. Even with Holly's enhanced elfin hearing, she could not discern what type of shoe could make such a heavy, padding sound. The footfalls stopped. A cold stillness descended upon the darkened room. Slowly, so slowly one could barely feel it, the hair in the back of her hair rose. A growing chill began to permeate the room.
The footfalls began once more. Disconcertingly, it was not on the opposite end of the room. This time it was closer, ever closer... It was not the soft padding on hard stone floor. It was strange. Tremors were racing through the laundry machines, and Holly realized, with a start, that whatever it was, it was walking on the washers! Holly quickly scooted as soundlessly as possible to another row. Her seizures were barely abating, and her head swam with the quick, furtive movements.
As soon as she rested against the next row, metal crashes boomed into the room. From what the red haired elf could conjure, it seemed that the lids of the washers were being slammed upwards rapidly and consecutively. The elf shook her head, trying to clear the sudden rise of panic and hysteria. Holly was renowned for keeping her head in the midst of danger. She was not one easily unnerved. But it was as if a noxious vapor was suffusing the room, entering her lungs, and making her reluctant body move sluggishly.
Bam! Bam! Bam! That was the sound of washer lids being slammed upwards.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! That was the sound of a heavy creature jumping from one row of washers to the next. The metal machines shrieked in protest at the abuses. Whatever the creature was, it was heavy.
Then something came to Holly, a whisper altogether apart from the sound of approaching creatures in the dark. A whisper. A chanted hymn. A canticle. "Know me... come with me... I will..." It was the same. It was the same voice that sang to her in her dreams. Somehow, she did not know how, it spoke to her in her wake.
The door opened abruptly and a shower of light fell inside the room. The doorway framed the silhouette of a nun. Uncaring whether she was seen, Holly ran for the open door. Out... I need out! was all she could think of. She crashed into the nun who promptly fell back with an indignant squawk before Holly sped away from the scene, unheeding that her flame colored hair flew like a silken banner behind her.
The nun rolled over to the side disgracefully, screeching all the while. However, the elderly female made no move to chase after Holly despite her fury at being knocked into. Bizarrely, the nun stepped into the laundry after furtively glancing around to make sure none saw her. The moment she secured the door close, her features were lit by an eerie dark green glow that twisted her visage to resemble a reptile.
"What is it?" she hissed angrily at the door. "What are you doing? We could have been discovered!"
There was a shift in the shadows and the nun visibly blanched and backed away. "No, no, not at all!" she whispered furiously. "Please, I beg you, no! P-!" An abrupt silence ensued broken only shortly by a soft thump. The uneven gait of one... two, three... one....two, three petered into the darkness.